House Resolution: Stop U.S. Funds to U.N. General Assembly If Palestinian State Is Recognized

Daniel Halper

June 3, 2011 5:34 PM

Congressman Steve Chabot just introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that calls on America to stop giving money to the United Nations “if the General Assembly adopts a resolution in favor of recognizing a state of Palestine outside of or prior to a final status agreement negotiated between, and acceptable to, the State of Israel and the Palestinians.”

This resolution is mainly in response to the Palestinians’ attempt to gain recognition of a “state” without first working out a lasting peace agreement with the Israelis.

“Recognizing ‘statehood’ does not mean U.N. membership, but it would nonetheless be a major Palestinian success,” John Bolton writes in today’s Wall Street Journal. “A resolution recognizing a Palestinian ‘state’ could also declare its boundary to be the 1967 borders (in actuality, merely the 1949 armistice lines), with or without President Obama's caveat about ‘agreed upon swaps’ of land. The obvious Palestinian objective is to remove the issues of statehood and boundaries from the realm of bilateral negotiations with Israel, making them fait accompli.”

The Palestinians’ leadership still does not officially recognize the Jewish state in the land of Israel. Additionally, the Palestinian group Fatah recently reconciled with the terrorist group Hamas.

Although this is a non-binding resolution, if honored, and if the U.N. recognized a Palestinian state, the funds would only be withheld from those that are directed to the U.N. General Assembly—not the entire United Nations. But Bolton, in his op-ed today, asks the question that the U.N. might soon have to face: “It presents the U.N. membership with a fascinating question: Would they rather recognize Palestinian statehood, or keep America's money?”

Chabot, the sponsor of the resolution, is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

Here’s the full text of the (short) resolution:

RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of State should withhold United States contributions to the regularly assessed biennial budget of the United Nations for purposes of the General Assembly of the United Nations if the General Assembly adopts a resolution in favor of recognizing a state of Palestine outside of or prior to a final status agreement negotiated between, and acceptable to, the State of Israel and the Palestinians.

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of State should withhold United States contributions to the regularly assessed biennial budget of the United Nations for purposes of the General Assembly of the United Nations if the General Assembly adopts a resolution in favor of recognizing a state of Palestine outside of or prior to a final status agreement negotiated between, and acceptable to, the State of Israel and the Palestinians.